Elastically expandable holder for cards



Der 3, 1963 G. BoNsALL ETAL ELASTICALLY EXPANDABLE HOLDER FOR CARDS Filed Aug. 28, 1962 '4H- INVENTORS 3 60R6 BON-SML wr/fw? naar BY 0/ Array/@mjyl United States Patent O ice 3,112,859 ELASTICALLY EXPANDABLE HOLDER EUR CARDS George Bonsall, New York, NX., and Arthur Brody,

South Grange, NJ., assignors to Bro-Dart Industries,

Inc., Newark, NJ., a corporation of New York lFiied Ang. 23, 1962. Ser. No. 219,865 3 Claims. (Cl. 229-71) This invention relates generally to receptacles, and has particular reference to an improved holder or pouch for accommodating cards, such as tiling cards or the like.

A general object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive holder of expandable character by means of which cards can be conveniently stored or stocked with books, on a common shelf. Because cards are structurally and dimensionally so different from books, the practical arrangement of such physically diverse articles in close proximity presents special problems which this invention seeks to overcome.

The need for a card holder of this kind is present in many industrial situations, but the invention is primarily intended to ll a need in the library servicing iield. When a book is sold to a library it is often desirable to furnish with it a set of library catalog cards, or other cards the library may wish to have. The book wholesaler or jobber might therefore wish to carry not only a supply of the books themselves but also a supply of catalog cards corresponding to them. In the interest of efficiency and economy of space it thus becomes desirable to stock books and cards in a convenient directly-adjacent relationship on a common shelf.

It is a particular object of the invention to provide a device composed essentially of inexpensive sheet material such as cardboard, and well adapted to be manufactured in commercial quantities at low cost. A feature of the invention resides in the employment, in a unique manner, of simple elastic bands which cooperate with the basic cardboard structure to define card-receiving pockets of unusual simplicity and effectiveness.

Brieiiy stated, the improved holder consists of a pair of superposed dat Walls or panels joined alongvcertain edges and disconnected along at least one edge through which cards are insertable and removable with respect to the space between the walls. Along the closed hinge-like edge opposite the open edge there is at least one cut-out deiining a notch, and passing through this notch is an elastic loop that embraces the Walls and presses them together. The elastic element has parts that extend transversely between the Walls, and these parts define partitions between separate card-receiving pockets. The pockets are expandabie against the constant urgence of the elastic band tending to press the walls together. The walls are provided with window apertures so located that a selected signicant portion (or portions) of the uppermost card in each pocket can be exposed to View for identification or other purpose.

A preferred way of obtaining these general objectives, and of achieving the advantages of the invention, is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which FIGURE l is a fragmentary face View of a holder constructed in accordance with the invention; and

FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views along correspondingly designated lines of FIGURE 1.

The device chosen for illustration is formed of a single blank of cardboard stock, substantially rectangular, doubled upon itself along a medial line to forni overlying walls or panels 11 and 12. These walls are thus secured together in hinged relation along the edge 1t?. Although the invention is not restricted to any specific dimensions or proportions, the edge 19 extends in the 3,112,859 Patented Dec. 3, 1963 direction in which a series of pockets are arranged side by side, and therefore it will be referred to as one of the long edges of the device. The walls 11, 12 are also joined together along both short edges. One of these edges is depicted at 13 and the opposite edge (not shown) is of similar character. It will be noted that a flap 14 formed as an extension on the panel 11 is folded over and secured to the adacent margin of the wall 12. Pref erably the ap 14, hence the securement of the walls to each other, extends only partially from the rear edge 1t) toward the opposite long edge of the device.

The Walls 11, 12 are disconnected along the lastmen tioned edge, whereby cards (such as the three shown at 15) can be inserted endwise into and withdrawn from the space between the walls. As illustrated in FIGURE l, the insertion of a card involves a sliding movement of the card toward the left (i.e., toward the rear closed edge 16) While the withdrawal movement is in a rightward direction.

Along the edge 10, the panels are provided with at least one cutout. In FIGURE 1, two such cut-outs are shown in spaced relation at 16 and 17. Each intersects the edge 10 and deiines a notch extending for an appreciable distance toward the front. Along the front edge there are similar' notches, designated 13, 19, but these are preferably not as long as the notches at the rear.

Located in each pair of aligned notches is an elastic band or loop extending in embracing relation to the superposed walls 11, 12. The bands shown in FIGURE 1 are designated Ztl and 21. As best indicated in FIGURE 3 with respect to the band Ztl, each band has portions 22, 23 that extend transversely between the opposed panels 11, 12. With respect to cards whose length is greater than the distance between the transverse parts 22 and 23, these parts dene a kind of partition separating the regions on each side. Thus the region between the band 2G and the closed end 13 forms a pocket in which one or more cards 15 can be accommodated. Similarly, the region between the bands Zt) and 21 constitutes a second pocket; a third pocket is defined in the region below the band 21; and so on. The pockets are all yieldably expandable against the resilient urgence of the elastic bands tending to press the opposite walls together.

While specic dimensions are not directly material, the general nature and purpose of the holder can be illustrated by pointing out that a thoroughly practical device, having three card holding pockets in a row, has a length of about 12 inches along the hinge edge 10, and a width of about 5 inches. Each pocket accommodates a multiple number of the well-known currently-standard tiling cards that are 3 inches wide and 5 inches long.

At least one of the pockets has a window aperture in at least one of its Walls, for exposure through it of a selected significant portion of the uppermost card in the pocket. Such a Window (in the wall 11) is shown at 24 in FIGURES l and 2. In the case of a library catalog card, the area exposed through this Window might include, for example, the name of the author and the book title. Another such aperture is shown at 25, adjacent to the pocket opening. A significant numeral or other marking might be exposed in this way. In order that the same information may be similarly exposed through the wall 12 (assuming of course that the uppermost card on that side is turned to face the wall 12) window apertures 25 and 27 may be formed in the wall 12, corresponding to the windows 24, 2S.

Obviously more than one of the pockets may be provided with windows of similar kind, if desired.

To facilitate the insertion and withdrawing of cards, each pocket is preferably formed with a cut-out adjacent to its open end. Such cut-outs, each of substantially triangular shape, are shown by way of example at 28 and 29,

3l the former being associated with the pocket shown uppermost in FIGURE 1, the latter with the pocket lying between elastic bands 20'and 21. Each of these cut-outs has been formed in only the wall 11, although if desired a similar cut-out may be formed in the wall 12 as well.

The device is thus a convenient practical multiplepocketed holder for a supply of cards, well adapted by its shape and general nature for association with books in direct adjacence to them on a bookshelf. The cards are neatly retained in an orderly fashion, they do not become jumbled, dog-eared, soiled, or misplaced, they are readily identifiable, and they are easily accessible. Similarly, should supplies dwindle or run out completely, this circumstance becomes readily apparent and the supply can be easily replenished without requiring any rearrangement or other movements of either books or card holders.

While three pockets per holder have been referred to herein, it will be understood that under certain circumstances a single elastic band, dening merely two adjacent pockets, may suice, while more than three pockets might also be provided for if desired. In general, it will be understood that the structural details described and illustrated may be modied in a number of respects Without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An elastically expandable holder for cards, comprising a pair of overlying substantially rectangular walls of cardboard or the like, hingedly joined along a long edge and secured together at the shorter end edges thereby leaving them disconnected only along the other long edge, said Walls being cut out in the region adjacent to said hinge edge to define a notch extending for an appreciable distance from said hinge edge toward said disconnected edge, and an elastic loop embracing said Walls and passing through said notch, the parts of the loop which extend between said walls serving to define partitions between separate card-receiving pockets, said loop yieldably pressing said walls together, said walls having at least one window aperture overlying each pocket for exposure of a selected significant portion of the uppermost card in said pocket.

2. A holder for cards as dened in claim l, there being at least two notches of the character described spaced along said hinge edge to accommodate a corresponding number of elastic loops, said notches being located so as to define at least three adjacent card-receiving pockets.

3. A holder for cards as defined in claim 1, in which there is also a notch at the disconnected long edge, aligned with the notch at the hinge edge and receiving the forward transverse part of the elastic loop.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,388,947 Halkern et al. Aug. 30, 1921 2,571,073 Stroop Oct. 9, 1951 2,718,911 Solomon e- Sept. 27, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 752,696 France Euly 24, 1933 

1. AN ELASTICALLY EXPANDABLE HOLDER FOR CARDS, COMPRISING A PAIR OF OVERLYING SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR WALLS OF CARDBOARD OR THE LIKE, HINGEDLY JOINED ALONG A LONG EDGE AND SECURED TOGETHER AT THE SHORTER END EDGES THEREBY LEAVING THEM DISCONNECTED ONLY ALONG THE OTHER LONG EDGE, SAID WALLS BEING CUT OUT IN THE REGION ADJACENT TO SAID HINGE EDGE TO DEFINE A NOTCH EXTENDING FOR AN APPRECIABLE DISTANCE FROM SAID HINGE EDGE TOWARD SAID DISCONNECTED EDGE, AND AN ELASTIC LOOP EMBRACING SAID WALLS AND PASSING THROUGH SAID NOTCH, THE PARTS OF THE LOOP WHICH EXTEND BETWEEN SAID WALLS SERVING TO DEFINE PARTITIONS BETWEEN SEPARATE CARD-RECEIVING POCKETS, SAID LOOP YIELDABLY PRESSING SAID WALLS TOGETHER, SAID WALLS HAVING AT LEAST ONE WINDOW APERTURE OVERLYING EACH POCKET FOR EXPOSURE OF A SELECTED SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE UPPERMOST CARD IN SAID POCKET. 